Finland's Prime Minister Resigns

MATTI HUUHTANEN

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Associated Press Writer

Just two months after becoming Finland's first female prime minister, Anneli Jaatteenmaki resigned Wednesday amid accusations she lied about the leak of sensitive political information during the election campaign.

Jaatteenmaki's Center Party won a narrow victory in March elections over the ruling Social Democrats after accusing the incumbent prime minister of compromising Finland's neutrality by supporting the U.S.-led war against Iraq.

But she was accused of using information gleaned from leaked confidential Foreign Ministry documents to exploit the anti-war feeling among the majority of Finns and unseat former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen.

Jaatteenmaki, 48, also was accused of publishing classified documents on her Web site, which is illegal, possibly leaking them to the press and inciting someone else to pass on the classified material.

Jaatteenmaki, who spent the day being grilled by Finnish lawmakers over the allegations, said she would hand in her government's resignation Wednesday night to President Tarja Halonen.

She did not admit any wrongdoing but said the scandal made it impossible for her to continue as the Nordic country's leader.

"It's impossible for me to serve Finnish citizens in the present circumstances. The situation has become intolerable," she said.

It was not immediately clear how soon a new government would be formed, but leaders of the three major parties, the Center Party, the Social Democrats and the Swedish People's Party, indicated they would try to form a new coalition.

Jaatteenmaki's resignation also marked the end of Finland being the only European country with a female prime minister and female president.

She will attend a European Union summit in Greece later this week, serving in a caretaker role.

Lipponen and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja _ both Social Democrats _ have vehemently denied any change in the country's policy toward Iraq, or its overall foreign policy. They have said that Finns could help in efforts to rebuild Iraq, but would not send any troops for peacekeeping purposes. Finland also sent no troops for use in the U.S.-led war.

The scandal, dubbed "Iraqgate" by local media, took a devastating turn for Jaatteenmaki earlier Wednesday when she told a full Parliament that she had not actively sought the secret documents.

But a few hours after the remarks, Martti Manninen, an aide to Halonen, said Jaatteenmaki had asked him for the papers in the run-up to the election.

Jaatteenmaki's popularity, which surged after her election, waned as the scandal unraveled. When she was approved as prime minister in April, lawmakers voted 111-72 in favor of it.

The prime minister bears most responsibility for running the government in the Nordic country of 5.2 million, with the president playing a far smaller role.